Rubber hand stamp



y 16, 1940- I c. B. PARKER 2,207,756

RUBBER HAND STAMP Filed June 1, 1939 ATTORNEY Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30,

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon in accordance with the provisions of the act of April 30, 1928 (Ch. 460, 45 Stat. L. 46 7).

This invention relates to hand rubber stamp for use in connection with an inking pad, and has for its object to provide an auxiliary hand rubber stamp connected to a main rubber stamp in such manner that the auxiliary stamp will function with the main stamp when so desired, and will not function when the main stamp only is desired to be used.

In the use of rubber hand stamps which as an example contain the designation of an ofiice firm or department and the date, it is usual to apply such a stampto incoming mail. In such case, it is frequently desired that certain of such incoming mail be routed to some particular ofiice branch or department, and the usual procedure is to apply a main dating stamp to the letter or paper and then apply another stamp indicating to what ofiice, branch or department the letter or paper is to be sent. This requires the use of two separate stamps and two distinct operations of stamping. I

It is the object of this invention to simplify this procedure and reduce the usual double stamping operation to a single stamping operation, thereby materially reducing the time required for the handling and stamping of incoming mail.

While I have mentioned the usual custom of stamping incoming mail as being an operation to which this invention is particularly adapted, it has other applications, which are many and varied as will become apparent from the following specification.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is side elevation of a hand rubber stamp constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference indicate the sam parts throughout the several figures, in which: I indicates the device which includes the main stamp 2 and the auxiliary stamp 33. y

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I prefer to have the main stamp 2, that is the rectangular base or body 4 and the upstanding handle 5 of solid resilient molded rubber, though stamps having their bodies and handles made of other suitable material may be employed.

The face 6 of the main stamp 2 may contain any desired indicia 7, such for instance as Department of Justice, May 22, 1939, A.M. Division of Records, while the face 8 of the auxiliary stamp 3 may likewise contain any desired indicia 9, such for instance as the word Record.

The auxiliary stamp 3 is connected to the main stamp 2 side by side as by a pair of pivoted links I0 and II. The lower or main link I0 is formed as shown in Fig. 4 out of a suitable hard stiff wire, which is first passed through a transverse hole l2 in the base of the auxiliary stamp 3, and terminates in two inwardly turned trunnions l3, the axes of which are not parallel with each other, but lie in horizontal planes slightly angularly disposed to each other.

The upper link ll of the pair of links may be made of a lighter and more flexible wire. It too is passed through a hole or opening l4 in the handle l5 and is bent to form two inwardly turned trunnions l6.

The two stamps 2 and 3 are assembled in the following manner: A hole is started in each side of the rubber base 4 of the main stamp 2. The axes of these holes are out of line with each other and lie in the same general planes as those of the trunnions l3 of the main link I ll. Similar holes are started inthe rubber base to receive the ,two trunnions I6 of the upper link H. The trunnions l3 of the lower and main link ID are then firmly pressed into the holes in the rubber base of the main stamp 2, and the trunnions l6 are likewise firmly pressed into the holes in the rubber base which have been made to receive them. The two stamps are thus connected together in the relative positions as shown in Fig. 1, in which the face 8 of the auxiliary stamp 3 is substantially elevated above the plane of the face 6 of the main stamp 2.

However, by reason of the linked connection between thetwo stamps as just described, the auxiliary stamp 3 can be moved downwardly into position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and into the same plane as that of the face of the main stamp 4.

It will be noted that by reason of the friction between the trunnions l3 and the resilient rubber base of the main stamp and by reason of the angular positions of said trunnions within said rubber base, downward motion of the auxiliary stamp causes the trunnions l3 to distort the im-' mediately adjacent rubber, which distortion of the rubber tends to return the auxiliary stamp 3 to its normal elevated position shown in full lines in Fig. l, and maintain it there so that the face 8 of the auxiliary stamp 3 is always normally elevated above the plane of the face 6 of the main stamp 2.

Having thus described the several parts of the invention, its operation is as follows:

When the main stamp 2 is struck down on an inking pad as in inking the stamp, the inertia in the auxiliary stamp 3 causes it also to come into contact with the surface of the inking pad and be inked. Likewise when the main stamp 2 is struck down upon a paper or letter, as in stamping the same, the inertia in the auxiliary stamp causes it also to strike the surface of the letter or paper and stamp the same. When, however, only the indicia of the main stamp is desired on a paper or letter, without the indicia of the auxiliary stamp, the main stamp 2 is merely pressed down upon the paper or letter without a striking motion sufiicient to displace the auxiliary stamp 3 of its normal elevated position so as to bring it into contact with the paper or letter being stamped; while under certain conditions of use, the main stamp 2 can be pressed firmly down upon the paper or letter and while yet in contact, the handle E5 of the auxiliary stamp may be depressed by the thumb of the operator to apply the auxiliary stamp to the surface of the paper or letter. It is an advantage to have the face of the auxiliary stamp in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the face of the main stamp when the auxiliary stamp is in its elevated position, so that in operation the auxiliary stamp moves vertically downward into contact with the paper or surface to be stamped. This results in a more perfect impression than if the downward movement of the auxiliary stamp was other than vertical.

While I have shown and described only one preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this construction and arrangement of parts, as various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I consider myself clearly entitled to all such changes and modifications as fall within the limit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

.1. A hand rubber stamping device for use in connection with an inking pad, which includes a main stamp having its base and handle of solid rubber and a face to receive printing indicia, an auxiliary stamp having a base and handle and a face on the base to receive printing indicia, a pair of links for connecting the two stamps together, the base of the auxiliary stamp being provided with a transverse opening to receive the lower and main link of the pair of links, the free ends of said links being bent to provide two inwardly upper one of said pair of links, the free ends of which link are bent to provide two inwardly turned trunnions, the base of the main stamp being provided with two holes to receive the two trunnions of this link, the whole arranged in such manner that the auxiliary stamp is resiliently maintained in relation to the main stamp so that the face thereof is substantially elevated above the plane of the face of the main stamp, but may be moved downwardly into the plane of the main stamp as in inking or in stamping operation. I

2. A hand rubber stamping device for use in connection with an inking pad, which includes a main stamp having a. base of resilient material and a handle, the base having a face to receive printing indicia, an auxiliary stamp having a base and handle and a face on the base to receive printing indicia, a pair of links for connecting the two stamps, the base of the auxiliary stamp being provided with a transverse opening to receive the lower and main link of the pair of links, the free ends of said link being bent to provide two inwardly turned trunnions, the axes of which lie angularly to each other, the resilient base of the main stamp being provided with two holes angularly disposed therein complemental to the angularity of said trunnions and adapted to receive said trunnions, the handle of theauxiliary stamp being provided with a transverse opening to receive the upper one of said pair of links, the free 3. A hand rubber stamping device for use in connection with an inking pad, which includes a main stamp having a base of resilient material and a handle, the base having a face to receive printing indicia, an auxiliary stamp having a base and handle and a face on the base to receive printing indicia, a pair of links for connecting the two stamps, means for effecting pivotal connections of the two links with the auxiliary stamp, the lower and main link of the pair of links, including two inwardly turned trunnions,

the axes of which lie angularly to each other, the

resilient base of the main stamp being provided with two holes angularly disposed therein complemental to the angularity of the said trunnions and adapted to receive said trunnions, the upper one of the said pair of links including two inwardly turned trunnions, the main stamp being provided with two holes to receive the two trunnions of this link, the whole arranged in such manner that the auxiliary stamp is resiliently maintained in relation to the main stamp so that the face thereof is substantially elevated above the plane of the main stamp, but may be moved downwardly into the plane of the main stamp as in inking or in stamping operation.

4. A hand rubber stamping device for use in connection with an inking pad, which includes a main stamp having a base of resilient material and a handle, the base having a face to receive printing indicia, an auxiliary stamp having a base and handle and a face on the base to receiveprinting indicia, a pair of links for connecting the two stamps, means for effecting pivotal connections of the two links with the auxiliary stamp, the lower and main link of the pair of links including two inwardly turned trunnions, the axis of which lie angularlyto each other, the resilient base of the main stamp being provided with openings to receive said trunnions, the upper One of the Said pair of links including twojinwardly turned trunnions', the main stamp being provided with openings to receive the two trunnionsof this link, the whole arranged in such manner that the auxiliary stamp is resiliently maintained in relation to the main stamp so that the face thereof is substantially elevated above the plane of the face of the main stamp, but may be moved downwardly into the plane of the main stamp as in inking or in stamping operation.

5. A hand rubber stamping device for use in connection with a stamping pad, which includes a main stamp having a base of resilient material and a handle, the base having a face to receive printing indicia, an auxiliary stamp having a base and handle and a face on the base to receive printing indicia, a pair of links for connecting the two stamps, means for effecting pivotal connec tions between the-links and the auxiliary stamp and between the links and the main stamp, one of the links including means for effecting a resilient connection with the main stamp, the whole arranged in such manner that the auxiliary stamp is resiliently maintained in relation to the main stamp so that the face thereof is substantially plane of the main stamp as in inking or in stamping operation.

6. A hand rubber stamping device for use in connection with an inking pad which includes a main stamp having a base and a face on the baseto receive printing indicia, an auxiliary stamp having a base and a face on the base to receive printing indicia,a pair of links for connecting the two stamps, means for efi'ecting pivotal connections of the pair of links with the auxiliary stamp and with the main stamp, one of the links including means for effecting a resilient connection with the main stamp, the whole arranged in such manner that the auxiliary stamp is resiliently maintained in relation to the main. stamp so that the face thereof is substantially elevated above the plane of the face of the main stamp, but may be moved downwardly into the plane of the main stamp as in inking or in stamping operation.

CHARLES B. PARKER. 

